


Two Dawns

by Cloudtrader



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Uhura's Song - Janet Kagan
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 23:39:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17032119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloudtrader/pseuds/Cloudtrader
Summary: On Uhura's first assignment out of the Academy, she meets someone that will affect her life forever.  Their relationship will one day save the lives of millions of people across the galaxy and will bring an estranged people together again.  This is how Nyota Uhura met Sunfall of Ennien.





	Two Dawns

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kyburg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyburg/gifts).



Stardate 2024.5, Earth Year 2261

As the transporter beam materialized her under the odd light of her new posting, newly-graduated Ensign Nyota Uhura shivered with a thrill of excitement. Two Dawns was a research base on a small moon run by Eeiauoans, a feline-like race that Uhura was looking forward to getting to know. She'd studied the language of Eeiauo on the journey to her new posting, but it always took her actual contact with native speakers to really get into the nuances of a language. She looked up at the distant suns behind the station domes and grinned. She couldn't wait to get started!

“Come along, Ensign, you'll have plenty of time to gawk later. Let's check in with our hosts,” Lt. Jay Majsters said.

With a start, Nyota's gaze snapped back to her fellow officer, the twin suns casting his pale features in sharp relief. “Yes, sir!” Jay was a good fellow, if wholly interested only in his field of study, stellar physics. The U.S.S. Amity had brought them both to their new posting and she was glad to know someone before getting there, even if he was much more interested in the dual-star system they were in then any mere sentient. They'd both be under the command of a Cmdr. Tassaa Sh'rhisrerh, a Starfleet diplomat who was the main liaison with the Eeiauoans. Nyota was hoping that Cmdr. Sh'rhisrerh would allow her to practice her Andorian language skills with her. In general, Andorians could be a bit prickly, but Nyota couldn't help but hope for a good relationship with her new superior officer.

Lt. Majsters thanked the technician manning the transporter pad as the Eeiauoan gestured them towards what was presumably the reception area. It was a cargo pad and she could see that the Amity had already off-loaded most of the supplies for Two Dawns, including her own personal crate. Nyota hoped her instruments hadn't been damaged in shipping!

“Ahh, hello!” their new commander strolled up. “Sorry I'm late, I'm Commander Tassaa Sh'rhisrerh. You must be my new officers.” As they introduced themselves, Nyota's eyes wandered to the Eeiauoan standing next to Cmdr. Sh'rhisrerh. She was beautiful, with sleek black fur and graceful movements.

“May I present to you Junior Diplomat Sunfall of Ennien, who will be your guide to getting you settled on Two Dawns. Sunfall, this is science officer Lt. Jay Majsters and communications officer Ensign Nyota Uhura,” Cmdr. Sh'rhisrerh said. “Ensign, I expect you'll be working quite closely with Sunfall.”

“Yes, ma'am!” She turned to the diplomat and tried her best Eeiauoan hiss-growl in greeting.

Sunfall grinned, barring sharp teeth and replied in kind, then switched to Standard. “It iss a pleassure to meet you, Nyota Uhura. We will work on your pronunccian,” she laughed.

Nyota laughed with her, charmed by the beautiful hissing accent the other linguist had. She had a feeling that she'd found her first new friend in her new posting.

*****

Nyota was supremely happy to be proven right about Sunfall. After the first week, they were fast friends. At first she'd been slightly nervous to have the Eeiauoan's sharp claws so near her face in the traditional greeting of the cat-like people, but now she was thinking about getting even closer to Sunfall.

“Sunfall,” she asked hesitantly. “It may seem odd, but... could I, perhaps, touch your fur? It's just!” she stammered a bit, “it looks so soft!”

The other woman gazed at her silently for a moment, and Nyota just knew she was blushing, but hopefully Sunfall couldn't tell. They were sitting close together in her quarters, talking idly about what to get for dinner, since of course they'd been sharing practically every evening meal together since she'd arrived.

“You may, Nyota,” Sunfall said. “May I touch you, as well? Your sskin is such a pretty color and I wissh to feel it, too.”

“Of course!” Nyota slowly reached out, placing her hand on the other woman's arm, stroking downward with the grain. It was like black velvet; just as soft as she'd been imagining.

At the same time, Sunfall brought her hand up, carefully stroking Nyota's cheeck with the pad of her thumb. She could see Sunfall's razor-sharp claw from the corner of her eye, and she tried to contain her shiver. It wasn't a shiver of fear, either. Their position was strangely intimate, alone together, sitting on Nyota's bunk, with the light dimming as the last sun of the evening started to set.

“You cover sso much of your sskin, you Sstarfleet people. I wonder what is under your uniform,” Sunfall said softly.

The subtleties and undercurrents of the conversation were not lost on Nyota. The ball was in her court now. Sunfall's observation could be taken as simply one person being curious about an alien, or it could be something more personal. It was Nyota's choice. She couldn't help but admire Sunfall's positively diplomatic phrasing.

“Let me show you,” she said simply, raising her arms to draw the other woman closer.

*****

2 Years Later

It took a lot of communication to maintain an intimate relationship with a member of another species. Fortunately, a diplomat who was also a dancer and singer and a command-track linguist who was also a singer knew how to communicate. That didn't mean there were never misunderstandings. Eeiauoans didn't kiss and Terrans didn't scent-mark, but they'd negotiated past those mutually incomprehensible foibles of each others cultures. They'd shared their bodies and their songs and Nyota was more than a little bit in love with Sunfall.

The lure of the universe and the path towards discovery that Starfleet had opened for her was calling her away from Sunfall, though. Her work on Two Dawns had earned her a promotion and a new assignment as junior communications officer on the U.S.S. Ahriman.

“Will you remember all of the ssongss we have ssung together?” Sunfall asked as Nyota packed her bags.

“Always! Sunfall, I'll practice them every chance I get, even the ones I can't ever sing for anyone else.” She leaned over the seated figure of her lover and stroked the soft fur around Sunfall's ears, the spot that always made the Eeiauoan purr. “I'll never forget you.”

Sunfall purred a sigh, and then giggled mischievously. “Are you ssure? I know that your memory is somewhat damaged...” Sunfall always teased her about the Terran memory, although she did love to watch Nyota use an old-fashioned stylus to write notes. She said that Terran handwriting had inspired her to create a new dance, although she hadn't perfected it yet.

“I promise I will never forget you,” Nyota said.

*****

Stardate 2962.7

Nyota bounced a bit as she waited impatiently in the transporter room. Scotty grinned as he teased her. “Dinnae worry, I'll bring your friend here with all her whiskers intact, lass.”

“I know, I know! I just saw her in the hospital a few weeks ago, but...”

“But you miss her, aye. You'll have all the trip to Sivao to get reacquainted. And maybe convince her to join you in a performance? Not your bawdy ones!” he said hastily. “I love your gift, lass, but I would nae ask you to sing those in public. Maybe something you, she, and Brightspot come up with?”

“I'll see what I can do, Mr. Scott,” she grinned at her friend. Then it was time, as Eeiauo hailed the ship with the delegation going to Sivao ready to beam up. There were greetings and formalities to get through, but through it all, Nyota couldn't stop staring at Sunfall. Her fur had continued to grow back and she was now looking much like Nyota remembered, much to her relief.

Finally, after getting all of the delegation settled in their cabins, the two friends were at last alone together again.

“Thank you sso much for keeping your promisse, Nyota,” Sunfall said.

“As if I could ever forget you!” she smiled and opened her arms. Sunfall stepped into them as if they hadn't been parted for years.

The End


End file.
